Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Livin, Svetlana Konnikova [classic fiction .TXT] 📗

Is there a method to combat the stress before it becomes distress? Yes!

Learn to recognize stress and devise your own personal methods to gain control over it. It does not have to be difficult to manage stress before it manages you. It simply takes a little planning.

Five simple guidelines will help you to recover from distress and rebalance your internal, psychological health. Interpret these concepts in your personal way, add new ones of your own, and minimize the harmful effects of stress on your well-being.

A. Practice proper nutrition

Scientists and physicians confirm that eating a balanced diet, low in fat and rich in vitamins and nutrients, is a powerful defense against the toll that stress can take on us.

Magnesium is an important mineral that relieves muscle cramping and strengthens blood vessels and the heart. Dizziness, high blood pressure, trembling, and itching of the fingers can be an indication of a magnesium deficiency in the body. To ensure that your body has sufficient magnesium, try Mama’s simple remedies:

r 1. Drink a good quality mineral water.

r 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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r 3. Take a daily dose of magnesium by eating a mixture of two to three freshly grated carrots with a minced onion in a little light olive oil.

r 4. At least twice weekly make yourself a glass of fresh carrot juice. It’s a strong blood purifier and wil help to cleanse the body of physical and psychological impurities.

r 5. Make herbal tea, which Mama would say “relieves the soul of tension.” This combination of herbs is to be taken once in the morning and evening. Mix one teaspoon each thyme, sage, and linden. Add one pint of boiling water and steep for five minutes. Filter and add honey to taste. Sip this beverage slowly and enjoy. B. Use hydrotherapy to combat distress

Our bathrooms can be a sensual departure from the day-to-day grind—a haven of joy in which we can experience peace and serenity. r 6. Take a warm shower or bath with 16 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with eight ounces of water (to reduce acidity). Cleansing your skin with this mixture wil open pores and draw out toxins. Your skin wil feel smoother and you wil feel relaxed.

r 7. For a soothing self-massage, soak a linen towel in hot water, wring it out, and rub your body vigorously with it. Begin on the soles of your feet and direct the motion toward your heart. Afterwards, massage your body with pine extract. You wil experience increased blood circulation and your skin wil have a rosy glow. As you lie in bed, you wil experience a warm sensation over your body.

r 8. Another great benefit for the body is to massage your skin with a dry-skin brush, which can be purchased at a health-food store. Each morning massage the body in circular motions with the brush or a cotton mitten. Mama said, “It provides the body with Don’t Be Afraid of Good Stress @ 191

a fair distribution of blood.” What she meant by that statement is that a dry massage promotes proper distribution of blood to our internal organs and thus better blood circulation overal . Relax or energize by bathing with aromatherapy

After a busy day, try one of these:

r 9. Fil a vase with your favorite beautiful fresh flowers. Turn off the bright electric bulbs and light an aromatic candle instead. Al ow it to burn at least 10 minutes before you bathe to ensure that the herbal aroma, which is so beneficial in relaxing the nervous system, fil s the room. Add to the bath aromatic mineral salts or an essential oil such as rose, jasmine, or bergamot. Tie up a handful of dried lavender flowers or fresh rose petals in a scrap of lace or gauze and toss into the water. A warm bath of just 15 minutes can be sufficient in relieving distress. After bathing, massage your skin with a cotton towel, and slather on a rich moisturizing cream before retiring.

r 10. An herbal bath can relax or rejuvenate. A bath of 20 drops of essential oil of chamomile or calendula, for example, is known to cleanse the skin and calm the nervous system. Or put a twist on a simple chamomile bath by mixing just 10 drops of chamomile with 10 drops of lavender and eight drops of sage and feel the day’s troubles float away with the bath water. Only add neat oils to bathwater if they are guaranteed to be non-irritants, such as Roman chamomile and lavender. Otherwise dilute the oil in carrier oil such as apricot kernel or sweet almond. Five drops of jojoba oil can be added for very dry skin. Then swirl the bathwater around and the oils wil be dispersed before you step into the bath. These oils added to bathwater are inhaled and partly absorbed by the skin, bringing immediate physical relief.

r 11. Aromatic essential oils, bath foams, and candles are instrumental in helping to impart a sense of luxury and beauty and induce 192 ^ Mama’s Home Remedies

a feeling of serenity and comfort. Aromas are general y divided into two categories: those that stimulate and those that relax. Stimulating aromas include peppermint, anise, eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, pine, cinnamon, cardamom, camphor, and nutmeg.

Relaxing aromas include bergamot, chamomile, sandalwood, jasmine, cypress, lavender, juniper, rose, lemon balm, orange, and honeysuckle.

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